How do you pack salads for lunch?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to bring more salads to work for lunch, especially with the excellent produce in season soon.

How do you pack your salads? I have large containers but sometimes things just get mushy. I leave my dressing at work. The other day I had greens, roasted beets, shelled pistachios, and dried cherries. The beets made the lettuce a little more wet than I like.

Any tips?

I've heard of salad in a jar, but I'm not convinced enough to carry a heavy ass mason jar to work - but I will if people swear by it!

[Anonymous]

Are you putting the wettest ingredients on the bottom? Alternatively, you can pack greens and toppings separate.

[Anonymous]

The mason jar approach definitely works well. I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a tall skinny plastic container. It's not the container that matters as much as the order in which you fill it (to prevent sogginess). Mine last a couple days.

http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2014/03/17/the-ultimate-mason-jar-salad-tutorial-and-recipe-round-up/

[Anonymous]

I put the lettuce and anything that's "hard" like carrots, nuts, etc. in a big container. Then I put things with more moisture in separate snack babies or small containers and mix it all together when it's time to eat.

Our former babysitter used to bring salad in jars but I never saw how they turned out when she dumped them out of the jar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mason jar approach definitely works well. I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a tall skinny plastic container. It's not the container that matters as much as the order in which you fill it (to prevent sogginess). Mine last a couple days.

http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2014/03/17/the-ultimate-mason-jar-salad-tutorial-and-recipe-round-up/

This.

Heavier and wet-type items at the bottom, including dressing if you don't keep it at work already. I've used all sorts of containers but if I'm not dumping it into a larger bowl then I try to use something large enough for extra space for mixing/shaking prior to eating.

[Anonymous]

+2 for the mason jar. Yes, the jar is added weight, but I hate soggy lettuce.

[Anonymous]

hm, interesting. OP here....maybe I'll try a few mason jar salads this weekend.

[Anonymous]

Definitely th mason jar thing. You can use a plastic jar if you want by the glass somehow keeps things crisper too. I've also done a large Tupperware win all the dry ingredients (lettuce, carrots) and separate container for the wet stuff (tomatoes, cukes, tuna etc)

[Anonymous]

No suggestions here, just want to say, OP, that I'm not a big salad fan, but yours sounds delicious!

[Anonymous]

I take salads to work daily and prep the night before.

I use a regular Tupperware container (never heard of a mason jar for a salad) and fill with wegmans or costco spring mix or romaine lettuce (depending on where I shopped over the weekend). I add in carrots, pepper, tomato, and onion.
In the morning, right before I leave the house gor work, I add in low fat cheddar cheese or feta or some almonds (again, depends what I have). I go without dressing since the cheese provides enough flavor.

Never any problems with sogginess or issues. The salad is fine during my 1 hr commute too.

Op- maybe you're salas is too wet bc you don't shake off enough of the water after rinsing. Maybe blot dry with a paper towel.

I use the triple washed lettuce from wegmans so I don't inadvertently add in more moisture.

[Anonymous]

Two Tupperware containers. Wet ingedients- tomato, beets, etc. Dry ingredients - greens, carrots, peppers. At lunch, just dump one into the other and enjoy.

Also, I recently switched from lettuce to spinach. More nutrition and lasts way longer in my fridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No suggestions here, just want to say, OP, that I'm not a big salad fan, but yours sounds delicious!

thanks!
the one I have today is greens (I had baby kale, but our nanny finished it - I'm not a kale person unless it's crispy! However, the baby is sturdy and not bitter like arugula, which I'm not a fan of)....so greens, roasted beets, roasted cauliflower, sliced purple carrot, dried cherries, dried pistachios, and feta.

I'm really trying to be good and bring lunch to work. So this morning I had a nutella pastry from my neighborhood coffee shop to balance it out. Don't tell my DR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two Tupperware containers. Wet ingedients- tomato, beets, etc. Dry ingredients - greens, carrots, peppers. At lunch, just dump one into the other and enjoy.

Also, I recently switched from lettuce to spinach. More nutrition and lasts way longer in my fridge.

yeah, I'm not a huge raw spinach fan but it doesnt hold up better. I like the 50/50 mix. Cooked spinach, love.

I've been thinking of doing this too:
http://cuppow.com/collections/bnto-jar-lunchbox-adaptors

[Anonymous]

I put everything in small snack bags all inside one big freezer bag. I keep a bowl and real metal utensils at my office. I can re-use the bags sometimes or take enough for a couple days by doing it this way.

[Anonymous]

I did this this week. Tupperware container with wet/heavy ingredients on the bottoms and lettuce on top. I have these leakproof dressing containers I got at bbb. This worked well. I packed 3 monday night and Thursday's was still good.